It's common practice to leave the house with a phone and MP3 player in hand. Just like keys and a wallet, a journal should be on the "never leave home without it" list. Being able to write and record ideas, thoughts and images at the drop of a hat is a must for creative types, and journals allow writers constant access to their stories. Just like having a notebook by the bed is essential for recording dreams, a journal is the perfect writing tool to use every time a brilliant idea comes to mind.
It's Called a Notebook for a Reason
Using a journal for brainstorming and outlining is common practice, but a notebook is not just a crucial prop for planning. A notebook is a writer's best friend when it comes to ideas, concepts, daydreams and words that come into play at any given time. It's so easy to have a brilliant idea creep up one minute and to forget it the next. Having a journal on hand negates the chance of losing the material that can make a good story great. Having a book full of notes also gives writers material to stem from that may not have originally been connected to the story.
Let's Make Memories
Ever kept a diary and looked back on it years later with humor? Journals and diaries make the perfect memory keepers, comprised of stories, experiences and events meaningful to the owner. Writers of all types can use past experiences as motivation and inspiration for future stories and prose. There may be a poem about a fellow passenger on the train, a florid description of a favorite teacher, or a word borrowed from a graffiti-ridden wall. Journals are one way to relive experiences and create new story ideas from old passages.
Ideas Come From Everywhere
Song lyrics, movie dialogue, famous quotes: all inspiring to writers and artists. Keeping a journal of favorite anecdotes, poems, jokes and other musings helps creativity flow and writing flourish. Influential writers, composers and authors offer great ideas for seasoned and fledgling writers to use as inspiration. A journal full of favorites will not only enrich a story, it may help with a bad case of writer's block.
It may be old fashioned, but writing by hand is still beloved by many. A pen and paper are just as strong as a computer and word processing program. The difference is, pen and paper are easier to carry. A journal should be a writer's best friend, confidant, secret keeper, and inspiration. With so many story ideas floating around, it's difficult to keep everything as interesting and vivid as it is at first glance. A journal offers the chance to keep an initial impression in tact, and a memory always in place.
Adrienne Rodney - Adrienne comes from a broadcast journalism background (working in both local and cable news) and is parlaying her experience into a ...
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